6 Open Source Middleware Tools for the Internet of Things

A survey of open source middleware tools that are helping to fuel the rapid growth of the Internet of Things.

AllJoyn

Sponsored by the AllSeen Alliance, whose members include the Linux Foundation, Microsoft, LG, Qualcomm, Sharp, Panasonic, Cisco, Symantec and many others, AllJoyn is a "collaborative open-source software framework that makes it easy for devices and apps to discover and communicate with each other." It has supports bindings for C, C++, Objective-C and Java, and it includes per-to-per encryption and authentication. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X, Android, iOS Arduino, others.

Mango

Mango automation software offers features like data acquisition, real-time monitoring, a high-performance NoSQL database, security and much more. It is available in both a free open source version and paid enterprise versions. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

Nimbits

Nimbits describes itself as "a Data Logging Service and Rule Engine Platform for connecting people, sensors and software to the cloud and one another." It includes server software, an open source Java library, an Android client and a public cloud that runs Nimbits Server.

OpenIoT

Funded in part by the EU, OpenIoT describes itself as a "blueprint middleware infrastructure for implementing/integrating Internet-of-Things solutions." The project's goals are to be able to collect and process data from nearly any IoT device, stream that data to the cloud and analyze and visualize the collected data. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.

Middleware tends to be the unsung hero of technical infrastructure. Middleware doesn’t prompt great debates, like Windows vs. Apple vs. Linux OS debates of years past, and there are no TV ads for middleware. Yet middleware – the software that sits between the OS and applications – is an essential element, especially for the Internet of Things. Among other tasks, middleware often provides messaging services so different apps can connect with one another. It also helps ease the work involved with the development of apps that get services from other apps. So the six open source middleware tools on the following pages may not stir a lot of argument, but they are highly important in enabling the vast, far-flung world of the Internet of Things.